Mobile Electronic Device Policy

UNCRC Articles 3: 

3: Everyone who works with children should do what is best for each child. 

9: You should not be harmed and should be looked after and kept safe. 

36: You should be protected from doing things that could harm you. 

Introductory Statement

We are committed to the correct and proper use of mobile devices in support of its administrative and educational functions and in its ambition to enhance teaching and learning. It is expected that all users will act responsibly to protect their online profile and respect the privacy of others at all times.

 School-owned devices are provided for exclusively educational use, regardless of whether they are used at school or elsewhere. The inappropriate use of mobile devices could expose the school to risks including child protection, data protection and digital safeguarding matters, and as a consequence, disciplinary or legal issues. The purpose of this policy is to define acceptable, safe and secure standards for the use and management of mobile devices within the school. 

This policy is mandatory and by using any mobile devices within the school building or grounds that are owned by staff, pupils, volunteers, visitors, or that may be leased or owned by the school; users are agreeing to abide by the terms of this policy.

This policy also acknowledges the increasing ownership by pupils of mobile phones and other electronic devices, e.g wearable smart technology. It seeks to provide clear guidelines when a pupil needs to have a mobile phone/device in school to support their journey to or from school. The policy also outlines sanctions that will be used to prevent devices distracting children from learning or interfering with the safe running of the school. This policy applies to all staff, pupils and guests including parents and volunteers, and applies to all mobile devices used within school. Devices covered by this policy include, but are not limited to, smartphones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, games consoles, eBook readers, smart watches etc.

Rationale 

• Mobile devices and other electronic devices can be intrusive and distracting in school. 
• The use of a device in school could result in inappropriate images, texts or recordings being made or viewed by the pupils. 
• The internet applications on devices are rarely adequately filtered. Devices can have 3G or 4G access to data and so filtering in school would not apply. 
• Wearable devices such as Apple Watches and FitBits make it increasingly hard to prevent distractions caused by ‘always on’ internet access and access to apps and social media. 
• Bullying can be carried out using mobile devices. •
• These devices are often high value, and so expensive to replace if lost or broken. 

Connectivity 

Mobile devices must only connect to the school’s network via the wireless network. BYODs must not be plugged into network sockets or desktop USB ports unless this action has been specifically approved in advance. 

Staff, students and visitors wishing to connect a mobile device to the school’s wireless network must first ask permission from the Headteacher, E-Safety Officer or ICT Technician. In connecting to the network, they agree to follow the Responsible Use Policy – see Appendix 1. 

All use of the school network is monitored and by connecting, users give their consent for this monitoring to take place.

Once a device has been enabled, users must only access the wireless network using their own log-in details. Users must not share their usernames and passwords.

Adults, who have their own internet account for their mobile device using a third party network (3G/4G), may access this within the staffroom environment or one of the school offices for their own personal use. 

Although there are many e-learning benefits that may be accrued by allowing home owned computers to be used on site there is also a risk that they may bring unacceptable content or facilitate inappropriate uses on-site. These risks may exist regardless of whether or not home-owned computer devices are connected to school networks. Home-owned computers are not allowed into the school unless they are subject to filtering, monitoring and logging that is equivalent or identical to that which applies to school owned computers. At the present time, BYOD is not being implemented at JCP.

School-owned staff laptops and tablets can be scrutinised at any time if there is a concern. 

Mobile devices often incorporate image-capture features that can be used to record stills or videos, which can be a valuable tool for teaching and learning. However, there is also the potential for misuse in the form of ridiculing or bullying members of staff or pupils. Any inappropriate use of images should be reported to the school’s senior leadership team and will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s Counter-Bullying Policy.

Users are requested to ensure that they only use school-owned devices for taking digital images, and that all images are stored on the school network. Occasionally, photographs are taken for social media. Photographs should not be stored on mobile phones or home computers to safeguard individuals and secure best practice.  

Cloud-based storage should not be used unless this has been risk-assessed by the school’s E-Safety Lead (DSL) or IT Technician. 

If any visitor or volunteer is observed taking photos this should be reported to the school’s DSL. Visitors should not be taking photos unless they have been given permission by the Headteacher and are being guided by the ‘Acceptable Use of Photos and Videos’ Policy and Data Protection Policy.

Software/apps 

All software and apps to be used for teaching and learning purposes should be approved by the ICT Subject Leader and E-Safety Lead. Any web-based applications must be fully risk-assessed before use in school. The ICT technician will be responsible for purchasing and installing new software and apps, under the guidance of the ICT Subject Leader and Digital Safeguarding Lead. 

Security and virus protection

All mobile devices (both school-owned and BYOD) that are used professionally by members of staff must be protected, by passwords or passcodes and these changed regularly. 

School-owned devices that are supplied to members of staff must be maintained in their supplied state: they must not be “jailbroken” or “rooted”. 

All school owned devices must be added to one of our mobile device management services, either Lightspeed MDM for iPads or inTune for PC laptops.

The MDMs ensure that all devices have up-to-date antivirus software installed, safeguarding software, approved applications, and up-to date WiFi certificates.

In the event of a school-owned device being lost, the person to whom the device was loaned must inform the school as quickly as is reasonably possible. Lost school-owned devices may be locked, and/or wiped-clean of all data: the assignee agrees that this may include all personal-use information too.

Right of inspection 

The on-site use of all mobile devices, both home-owned and school-owned, is subject to the user granting the school a right of inspection on request. 

Requests for inspection should only be made in response to a specific cause for concern. Inspections will be carried-out only by designated senior members of staff. Pupils are entitled to insist that a parent is present throughout any inspection. Members of staff are entitled to insist that a union representative is present throughout any inspection. 

Refusal to allow an inspection when one is requested may result in withdrawal of consent for the device to be used on-site. 

School-owned devices must always be used in a manner that is consistent with the purposes for which they are provided: if inappropriate use is discovered during an inspection then disciplinary action may be taken.

Internal School Procedures

The following are the guidelines for pupil mobile device usage in the school: 

1. Pupils are not allowed to use their own mobile device on the school grounds or in the school building, including during afternoon/evening events such as PTA events, school productions, parent consultation evenings and matches. 
2. In the event of a pupil needing to bring a mobile device to school for their journey to or from school, the following procedure will be followed: 
   1. The mobile device is ‘switched off’ once on the school grounds. 
   2. On entering the school, the pupil will ensure the device is handed to their class teacher to be stored in the ‘safe box’, which will be locked, until home time. 
   3. A note from a parent/guardian will be sent in, explaining the need for their child to bring a device to school (if this is a regular occurrence, a letter will only be needed on the first occasion, explaining how often the device will be brought to school). 
   4. On school outings, devices will stay in school. 
   5. On school residential trips, phones and other electronic devices are not permitted. 
   6. Parents/guardians wishing to contact children during the school day should do so through the school office. 

Sanctions 

Non-compliance with the procedures outlined above will result in the following sanctions. 

1. On the first occasion, a verbal warning will be given along with a reminder of the school rules regarding mobile devices.
2. If the incident is deemed by a member of SLT to be in breach of our safeguarding or counter-bullying policies, the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher will contact parents/guardians directly.
3. On the second and subsequent occasions, the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher will contact parents/guardians directly. 

Roles and Responsibilities

• All staff share in the co-ordination and implementation of this policy.  
• The headteacher and teachers will remind the pupils of their responsibilities and the expectations in relation to this policy. 
• The school accepts no responsibility for replacing lost, stolen or damaged devices. 
• The school accepts no responsibility for children who lose or have their devices stolen while travelling to and from school. 

Safety when using Mobile Phones 

Children are advised not to use their mobile phones as they walk to school, unless there is an emergency. If they do need to use their phone, they should take care by stopping in a safe place rather than ‘walking and talking’ as there have been traffic incidents involving pupils who are texting or talking on the phone and not paying full attention. 

As part of our E-Safety curriculum, pupils are taught about how to be safe when using electronic communication tools, including mobile phones. Children should only give their contact details to people they know and trust in the real world, never to online-only ‘friends’. 

Unpleasant or offensive communication over devices is a criminal offence and children must report this immediately to a parent, staff member or the Police. Being threatening or bullying using a mobile phone is taken extremely seriously and dealt with equally as seriously as face-to-face bullying. 

Children need to remember to be polite and sensible when using their phones for calls, text messages and when taking and sharing photos and videos. 

This Policy Links to:  

Safeguarding Policy   

Positive Behaviour Policy  

Counter Bullying Policy  

E-Safety Policy